Venkatesh Prasad thinks all the three Indian pacers are match-winners

The Indian team going into the World Cup, has a batting attack full of star attractions that they’ve had over the years, quality spinners, again a common feature but what stands out is the quality in the fast bowling attack. They now have a pace battery that can make early inroads when the ball is new and stem things in the death when batsmen are aggressively looking for runs. Former Indian fast bowler Venkatesh Prasad, in fact, thinks each one of them is a match winner.

Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami the trio has been effective and successful and so much so that the Indian selectors picked just three. Prasad, the bowling coach of the national team between 2007 and 2009, has backed them to deliver their best in England. He also singled Bumrah as the key to India’s chances in the quadrennial event.

“Their technical expertise in terms of seam presentation, finish and sheer pace is simply outstanding. Each one is capable of winning matches on his own,” Prasad was quoted as saying by mid-day.

Bumrah, especially, is as crucial to India’s bowling as Virat Kohli with the bat. He is coming into the tournament on the back of an exceptional season for the Mumbai Indians where he scalped 19 wickets in 16 games at an economy of below 6. He is almost impeccable in the death overs, which makes him a great asset on the batting-friendly England pitches.

“He (Bumrah) is among the best in the world — in the Powerplay, mid-innings and towards the end. Just look at the maturity with which he bowls. Maturity is about knowing the situation, about the batsman’s intentions. He doesn’t get predictable because he has so many options. The pace he generates from a short run-up is brilliant. India are very blessed to have someone like Bumrah,” Prasad said.

Belief in Bhuvi and Shami despite both going for runs in IPL

Bhuvneshwar out of the three did not have a great IPL season. He could have done a lot more than 13 wickets from 15 matches at an economy of almost eight. He was expensive, especially in the death overs and couldn’t give his team early breakthroughs something that has been expected of him. Shami too was a tad costly, but he got crucial breakthroughs which made up for his economy. Prasad is hoping that both the players leave their IPL economy behind them before travelling to England.

“I hope neither Bhuvi nor Shami has started to doubt himself because they went for a few towards the end-overs in the IPL. I know the format and the stage are different, but sometimes you start doubting yourself if you are not able to execute your variations. It’s just a small doubt, I am confident they have the experience to not let that affect them,” the former Indian cricketer concluded.

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